RELENTLESS WORK PAYING OFF FOR TAYLOR

He took no vacations. He visited no family. Just him, athletic trainer James Collins and the rest of the Chargers’ medical and strength and conditioning staff.

On Friday afternoon, he was rewarded.

The strong safety was removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list and practiced for the first time since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last December. He also suffered some meniscus damage with the tear, undergoing reconstructive surgery in January.

Since then, the 23-year-old has done his part.

“No days off. No time off,” Taylor said. “You’ve just got to have that mindset on the goal of coming back. ... The process is very humbling. You want to get back out there, but you know you have to be all the way right to get back out there. You don’t want anything else to happen that can set you back. Just to be out there now is a dream come true. Being in that training room for seven months is not what I would wish on any person.”

Friday was the day Taylor returned to practice, but he knew it was coming.

He impressed secondary coach Ron Milus and defensive coordinator John Pagano in a Thursday workout held after practice. Ready as he may be, the Chargers plan to continue being smart with a player who hasn’t played a down since Dec. 23. His leg got caught in the MetLife Stadium turf as a Jets lineman shoved him.

The 2012 third-round pick was held Friday to individual drills.

At the time of the injury, Taylor was making his first career start at strong safety. Former cornerback Marcus Gilchrist has been handling that spot since the spring, exhibiting the versatility he displayed at Clemson. It’d be premature to expect anyone but Gilchrist to be the Chargers’ Week 1 safety opposite Eric Weddle, given Taylor must get back into the flow and regain his confidence and trust in the recovered knee.

As the depth chart goes, Taylor said he plans on taking it “one step at a time.”

“I know I just can’t go out there and be where I was,” he added. “I’ve got to get my mind back and physically as far as technique, fundamentals, getting back into plays mentally and really just getting back to the speed of the game. Not being out there during OTAs, minicamp, it’s a lot to get used to.”

Experiment

Chargers starting center Nick Hardwick pulled Steve Schilling to the side Friday during practice and worked with him one-on-one. Offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris pulled Schilling aside after practice and took snaps from him 1-on-1.

The San Diego guard is working to add some versatility to his game.

He is not short on help.

With Hardwick one of several veterans given a rest day, Schilling handled second-team reps at center behind Dave Molk in the final practice before today’s Fanfest. Admission is free to the 11 a.m. practice at Qualcomm Stadium with gates opening at 10 a.m. and the lot at 9.